REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Game Developers Conference
in San Francisco attracts the top creative minds in the video game
industry. With that audience on hand, Nintendo announces news that
reinforces its commitment to provide entertaining and enriching experiences
for veteran and new gamers alike. WiiWare(TM), Nintendo's new downloadable
game service, launches May 12 and expands development opportunities for
developers the same way Wii(TM) expanded the world of video game players.
Wii Fit(TM), the upcoming title for Wii, launches May 19 and introduces the
Wii Balance Board(TM) peripheral. And Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl draws in
fans of all kinds.
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"We are excited to participate in the Game Developers Conference this
year to share with developers and consumers alike our upcoming unique
services and products," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's
executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We are hopeful that they
will appreciate our offerings of WiiWare, Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros.
Brawl, which represent a trio that will continue to attract new players to
the world of video games."
At the conference, Nintendo speakers will outline a number of plans for
the coming months on their respective panels:
WiiWare: Nintendo's upcoming WiiWare changes the way both developers
create and consumers access video games. Through WiiWare, Nintendo hopes to
offer developers a virtual laboratory that serves as a breeding ground for
new games, which encourages great ideas that creators always wanted to
develop. The combination of low development barriers and unique game
experiences found only on Wii should enable developers to try new ideas
with lower risk in a quicker, more creative and affordable way.
Meanwhile Wii owners can download a multitude of cool new games from
different genres, including some that are unprecedented, which can be
purchased from home at a dynamic price range. WiiWare also empowers
consumers to determine with their Wii Points which games have the right
stuff to become the next big thing.
WiiWare will be a repository for all types of experiences -- literally,
something for everyone. Early WiiWare games will come from celebrated
developers like Square Enix, which is creating FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL
CHRONICLES: My Life as a King, a simulation game for all ages. Also watch
for games from up-and-coming developers like Frontier with its fresh,
enchanting platform adventure LostWinds and a new episodic game series from
Telltale. The first U.S. WiiWare games will be available on May 12.
Wii Fit: Wii Fit demonstrates Nintendo's commitment to gamers of all
kinds. It combines fun and fitness for every member of the family to keep
active and play together. Wii Fit launches May 19 in the United States and
comes with the weight-and-motion-sensing Wii Balance Board that Nintendo
representatives demonstrated could hold great promise for future game
development as well. Third-party publishers are already working on new
games and applications that will make use of the Wii Balance Board.
Additionally, Wii Fit includes access to the Wii Fit Channel, an
interactive channel that lets users check in each day to track their
fitness progress through weight and BMI. In Japan, Wii Fit has sold more
than 1.4 million units since its Dec. 1 launch.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl: This action game launches March 9. With dozens
of characters, settings, options and ways to play, it has something for
everyone. The game includes characters from all across the Nintendo
universe. The previous installment in the franchise went on to become the
best-selling game of all time for Nintendo GameCube(TM).
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the
content their children can access. For more information about this and
other Wii features, visit Wii.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive
entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and
markets hardware and software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R)
Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold
nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units
globally, and has created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R),
Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo
of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for
Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about
Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at http://www.nintendo.com.